My name is Olivia Moriano and I am a 20-year-old dressage rider who represents Italy at Young Rider level with my horse Worldly Wise.
Ever since I was at college, and after having the opportunity to shadow private bankers at two major banking institutions, I made the decision to study this sector at university. Now in my second year of a Banking and Finance degree in the heart of City of London, my life is as busy as ever before as I combine my studies with my international dressage career. As horses will always be a massive part of my life, my primary focus on choosing The London Institute of Banking and Finance was its location in relation to where my family home is in Surrey. This allowed for my love for dressage and my determination to enter the banking industry to be a reality.
As an individual who has always enjoyed studying, for instance my A-levels consisted of English Literature and Language, Government and Politics and Economics, having a busy, fulfilled lifestyle has made me the person I am today. As a competitive person, I make sure I have lots to aim for. This can range from practicing a specific movement from a test or to achieving qualifying scores for international competitions. So of course, all this preparation would not be possible without being organised to keep up my dream lifestyle. I balance living in London to attend my lectures and seminars with training my horses 4 to 5 times a week at home. Although juggling school, college and now university with riding competitively is not an easy task (especially when having free time is a rarity), my weekends have always consisted of competitions and training which is the norm for me, my passion and something I would not think twice about changing, particularly when you achieve the result you were aiming for.
I am lucky enough to have an extremely supportive family who practically and financially help make my dreams a reality. My mum is an essential part of my lifestyle ensuring all the horses are looked after to perfection and that competitions are entered well in advance which we train towards as a team. My dad is a great support and sacrifices many sunny holidays to ensure I can attend all my competitions for which I am very grateful for. Without my parents being around me making my life as seamless as possible, what I have achieved so far in my dressage career would never had been possible. And also, having an extremely supportive boyfriend around me makes what I do all worth it as at times it can get a little too much with all the university work required of me on top of riding and teaching others from home.
Regardless of a little stress here and there, I would not change it for the world. With the right people around you, self-dedication and determination to achieve your goals and dreams, anything is possible.